


A faceless clock, the hands unmoved

by varygud



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fluff, Gen, POV Catra (She-Ra), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27746749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/varygud/pseuds/varygud
Summary: While fighting a battle on a distant planet, Adora disappears, leaving a seven-year-old version of herself in her place. What remains of the Best Friends Squad must deal with the consequences.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

“Catra! Are you there?!”

Catra whirled around, looking up. “I’m here!” she called. “Did you find her?” She tried to keep her tone calm. Sure, her girlfriend was missing after a battle on an unfamiliar planet, but it wasn’t the first time that happened. Far from it. Adora was fine. She always was. The battle hadn’t even been bad, barely a scuffle.    
  
Glimmer appeared over the edge of the ravine Catra was searching. She gave a little wave, then disappeared in a cloud of sparkles, appearing at Catra’s side. 

Catra reached out a hand to steady Glimmer as a pile of pebbles collapsed under her foot. “Did you find her?” she repeated.    
  
“I, uh-” Glimmer stammered. “Yeah. I just- we need you. She wouldn’t come out for me.”

“Come out? From where?”

“I found her in this pipe...cave...thing.”

“Is she okay?”   
  
“She’s uh- look, I’m just going to teleport,” she warned, out of habit. Catra had gotten more oriented to the process over the years, but she still appreciated the warning. 

Catra had barely nodded when suddenly they were standing at the mouth of some metallic formation. The ceiling was low, but not so low that they wouldn’t be able to crawl in. 

Catra looked to her side, noticing another person was with them. A local- Beana...no, Beann- was crouched at the entrance. Glimmer kneeled down next to them. 

“Adora!” she called. “Are you okay?”

There was only silence, and Catra lowered herself to peer inside with the others. It was dark, but not so dark that she couldn’t see the vague outline of a figure huddled against the wall. 

“She doesn’t know who I am,” Glimmer whispered. Even though Catra didn’t understand what she meant, she could hear the fear in Glimmer’s voice and met her gaze. 

Glimmer turned to the local. “Do you know Bow? The guy with the arrows?” Beann nodded. “Can you find him?” Beann nodded again and stood, spreading beelike wings that fluttered quickly until she rose off the ground. 

“Can’t we go in there?” Catra asked, matching Glimmer’s volume. All she wanted to do was find Adora, and she wasn’t sure what was keeping them from going to her.    
  
“I did, earlier. Enough to see- but she’s scared. I think she thinks- I don’t know.”

“See what?”

“It’s not Adora. Or- it is but she’s...small.”

Catra blinked at her, impossibly more confused. “...Small?”

“She’s a kid. I thought maybe she might know you. Remember you.”

Catra’s first thought is that it was some kind of joke, but that didn’t make any sense. “She’s-”

“I don’t know!” Glimmer cut her off. “I scared her, earlier. I teleported in, but she freaked out and kicked me. She was yelling about magic and princesses. Then, I freaked out because, well-” She trailed off.

“...She remembers the Horde,” Catra said slowly, putting Glimmer’s logic together. “And if she remembers the Horde then she might remember me.”

Glimmer let out of a shaky sigh. “Exactly.”

Catra turned back to the tunnel. “Okay,” she said, gathering her courage. “Adora!” she called at a normal volume, “I’m coming in.”

“Go away!” The shout was so familiar, yet from a different place so long ago. Catra’s breath caught in her lungs, and she began to slowly crawl forward along the jagged, dirt-strewn floor.    
  
The tunnel was deep, continuing back as far as she could see, but Adora’s huddled form was only a few dozen yards inside. She shrank back against the wall as Catra approached her, hiding her face in her arms. 

There was a part of the tunnel where the ceiling wasn’t quite as low, and Catra mimicked Adora’s pose, resting her back against the wall. From this distance, she could make out the laces on Adora’s tiny sneakers. 

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not going to hurt you.” It had taken the longest time before Adora could tie her own shoes, far longer than the rest of their team. If this Adora was somehow from the Horde and not a freaky magic illusion, Catra realized it was likely her own child-sized hands that had tied the bunny ear she was staring at. 

“Leave me alone!” Adora said. “Don’t make me fight you!”

“I’d win,” Catra said. “I always do. I don’t want to fight you today, though. I just want to say hi. Can you look at me?”

Adora sat frozen for a long moment, then slowly lowered her hands and turned to stare with wide eyes at Catra. 

One of her teeth was missing. Catra had always thought it was funny when they fell out- her own never did. It’s not that Catra never thinks of her childhood. She and Adora remembered the oddest things sometimes, would double over with laughter about something that happened years and years before. Seeing Adora like this was different. Catra felt out of place- too small for her body.

“Do you recognize me?” she asked. She blinked her eyes at Adora- one yellow, one blue. 

Adora crawled backwards. Catra moved forward with her, worried Adora was going to try and escape further down the tunnel, but then the girl halted, resting her weight on her palms. “Catra?”

“Yes,” Catra assured her. “I can prove it. Ask me something only I would know.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Adora stared at her, looking much more frightened than Catra was used to seeing. How long had she been crouching in this tunnel?

“Okay. That’s okay. I can just tell you things, prove it myself. You’re Adora, I’m Catra. I know I look older...I am older. You are, too. Or at least you were the last time I saw you. Do you remember what happened?”

Adora slowly shook her head. 

“That’s okay. We’ll figure it out. Um- you know me, right? I know you. We used to live in the Horde, on Etheria...and...when we moved out of Shadow Weaver’s quarters, to the barracks, you wanted the top bunk and so did I. We said we’d switch after a while, but you let me stay there.”

She trailed off, not sure if any of this was getting through to Adora.

Adora stared back at Catra for a long moment before finally sitting up. “Where are we?” she asked, voice small.    
  
“We’re on a different planet. You don’t know about that, but there's different worlds, not just Etheria. We didn’t used to be able to go to them, but now we can. You and I- we go to different planets a lot.”

“We’re in a different world?” Adora asked, sounding a bit like she was going to start crying. “Why?”

“We came here to- to help people. We’re with friends- Glimmer, Bow, and Melog. You met Glimmer earlier. She scared you.”

Adora suddenly scrambled forward several feet, startling Catra. “She’s a princess! She was using magic, I saw it! We can’t trust her, Catra.”

Well, at least Adora accepted that she was who she said she was. The only problem was Catra had no idea how to tell Adora the Horde had fallen without making the situation worse. They’d received captivity training as children that warned of any number of tricks the rebellion might play on them. Adora would assume they were trying to trap her by making her think the war was over- it’s what Catra would have thought- unless…  
  
“It’s okay, Adora,” Catra said, trying to sound happy about the lie she was about to tell. “The Horde won. The Princesses are on our side, now.” Glimmer was going to kill her. 

Adora bridged the last few feet between them, staring at Catra with wide eyes. “We won?”

“Of course,” Catra assured. “It’s all over. Etheria is safe.”

Adora looked curious for a brief moment before looking back over her shoulder down the tunnel. “Is this place magic?” she asked, sounding intimidated. 

“Maybe. I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. All of us. I promise.”

Adora didn’t look at her, so Catra took a risk and reached out to lay her hand over one of Adora’s. Adora turned to stare down at them.   
  
“I’m still your friend, Adora,” Catra told her. She willed the little girl in front her to understand, to recognize that she could be trusted the same way the Catra who had tied her shoes that morning could. 

Finally, Adora looked back up at her. “I am, too. I’m your friend.”

Catra was still terrified, but with that she felt a sense of purpose. They had seen worse. They could handle this. She wouldn't leave Adora’s side until they figured it out.    
  
“Great. Then, we’re friends. Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay,” Adora said. Her voice was small, but she climbed over Catra, taking the lead on their way out of the tunnel.  Catra pitched her voice to carry, even though she was pretty sure Glimmer had heard everything they were saying. “We’re coming out!” She hoped desperately that Beann had found Bow. Together, they could try and figure out what happened during the battle.    
  
(And maybe, just maybe, Catra needed a hug.)


	2. Chapter 2

Catra’s belt snagged on the way out of the tunnel, and it took a moment to squirm free. When she finally emerged, Glimmer was staring at Adora, hands covering her mouth. Adora started right back, eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

Catra took a moment to dust herself off before gesturing to Glimmer. “Adora, this is Glimmer. She’s our friend, too, okay?”

Glimmer lowered her hands and gave a little wave. “Hi. I’m sorry if I scared you earlier.”

Adora looked away, scuffing a sneaker against the ground a little angrily. “I wasn’t scared,” she said. 

“Adora,” Glimmer said, “Do you remember-”

Before she could finish, Catra cut her off. “Wait.” Her ears had pricked up, not because she heard anything, but because she sensed something nearby- Melog. 

Sure enough, when Catra turned to look she saw the familiar form of Bow approaching, Beann and Melog at his side. Sensing Catra’s distress, Melog took off into a run, bounding forward with urgency. Catra heard Glimmer let out a sigh of relief behind her. 

Before Catra could say anything, Melog darted past her, stopping right in front of Adora. It let out a curious, “Why?” that only Catra could understand before pressing its snout into Adora’s hand. She shrieked and stumbled back.    


“It’s okay,” Catra said, not sure who she was talking to. She stepped forward and dropped to her knees so that she was closer to both their heights, reaching a hand up to Melog’s mane to keep it back. 

“This is Melog. It’s a friend, too, okay?”

Melog mewed, greeting Adora, then ducked under Catra’s arm to paw at Adora’s foot. 

“Hey,” Catra complained, giving it a nudge on the side. Adora didn’t seem bothered, scrambling back up and frowning curiously at the creature. She raised one shaky hand to its snout. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Catra saw Glimmer leave, presumably to head off Bow and explain what had happened. 

“What is it?” Adora asked. 

“Melog is from a planet called Krytis,” Catra said, aware that didn’t fully answer the question, but not eager to pile more information onto Adora. She had to be confused enough as it was. She cast a glance over her shoulder to her friends, who were deep in conversation with Beann. 

“Hey, Adora,” Catra said, suddenly getting an idea. “Did you see how fast Melog ran just now? I bet you can’t run that fast.” 

It got the reaction she expected- Adora glared at her, determination written all over her face.

Melog flicked its tail in delight, figuring out what Catra wanted. She scratched its ears before rising and pointing at a rock formation not too far away. 

“All right,” she said. “Prove it. Ten laps around those rocks over there. No cheating.”

Melog bumped into Adora’s body, gently throwing her off balance. Adora giggled despite herself, and the hot bands of anxiety in Catra’s stomach loosened a little at the sound. 

“Ready,” she said, letting Adora prepare herself, “set...go!”

Adora took off. Melog waited back a moment to bump against Catra’s hand. “I’ll watch,” it said. 

“Thank you,” Catra told it, and it padded away in a quick trot.

The others were watching Adora and Melog’s race as she approached them. Bow looked as exhausted as Catra felt, but he flashed her a small smile as she purposely bumped into him. 

“That’s adorable,” he said, pointing at their friends. 

“Adora’s always been competitive. And slow.”

“She doesn’t remember what happened?” Bow asked. 

“I asked, in the cave. Maybe she’s holding something back- she’s scared- but...I don’t think so.”

“Beann said there are people we could talk to, in the morning, who might know something,” Glimmer said. Catra turned to look at Beann, who met her gaze. 

“Prime choked out most of the planet’s magic, but there are whispers. Strange anomalies. Places you aren’t supposed to go.” They nodded to the cave and the mound of rock surrounding it. “I know this area well. I’ve never seen that place before. I would be surprised if it’s still here when we return.”

Glimmer placed a hand on their shoulder. “Thank you for your help,” she said. “You should rest. We’ll see you in the morning.”   
  
Beann nodded at all of them in turn, then abruptly took to the air. That was one of the quirks Catra had noticed in the couple of weeks they had spent on this planet. No goodbyes. 

Alone now, the three of them looked at each other helplessly. Glimmer’s bottom lip was trembling a little, and Catra saw her bite down on it. Catra knocked into Bow’s side again, and he took the hint, raising one arm around her shoulders and pulling Glimmer in with the other. It wasn’t quite a full hug, but Catra relaxed into their grips anyway. 

“We’ll figure it out,” Catra said after a long moment, breaking away. It echoed her promise to Adora earlier. “If that thing’s really going to disappear, you and Melog should check it out first, Sparkles.”

“Yeah,” Glimmer said, watching Adora and Melog again. “I just...I wish we could use comms right now.” The parts of space within the communication range of Etheria were limited, even after years of progress. Bit by bit, the old networks that used to connect the universe were flaring back into use, but this planetary system hadn’t been patched back in yet. It was part of the reason they were there. 

Catra couldn’t help but agree. As much as she had grown to love space and their frequent trips into it, seeing Adora like this made Catra feel vulnerable. She didn’t want to be in the open, rocky desert of another planet. She wanted to be nestled behind a pile of crates in the Fright Zone, pulling Adora in close. 

Catra tried to push that thought away. There was no more Fright Zone. She shouldn’t want that, not anymore. She should wish for the halls of Bright Moon or, even better, the lakeside shack in Plumeria that she and Adora now shared half the time they were in Etheria. 

“Ten!” Adora shouted, audible even from this distance, before throwing herself on the ground outside the cave. Melog flopped down beside her, nosing at her small ponytail, and Adora was giggling again as they approached her. 

“Who won?” Catra asked. 

“Melog let me,” Adora said, sitting up, and Catra felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Of course they hadn’t been able to fool Adora. Even as a kid, she was smarter than that. 

“Adora,” Catra said. “This is Bow. And look, he’s even got arrows.” She wasn’t really worried how Adora would respond to Bow- he was naturally good with kids, and she’d give him an easy opening. She turned her attention to a still-anxious Melog. 

“Hey,” she said, ghosting her hand over its head. “Will you check this place out? Glimmer is going to help.” Glimmer couldn’t access the powers she got from her runestone in space, but she was still an accomplished sorceress. Between her and Melog, hopefully they could get a better sense of what kind of magic they were working with.    
  
Melog mewed in agreement. 

Adora was occupied with Bow, who was showing off all his different trick arrows, so Catra took a moment to slump down beside them and clear her mind for a moment. It had been hours since the battle, and now that the adrenaline was finally wearing off, her body was descending into one big ache. 

She tipped her head back, choking down a sigh, before something occurred to her. She curled her tail around Adora’s wrist to grab her attention. 

“Hey,” she said, and pointed up. “You see that?” Adora directed her gaze to the sky as instructed. “Those are stars.”

“What are they?” Adora asked. 

Bow answered for her. “Big balls of light- bigger than planets. Every single one of those dots- that’s a star.” 

“Which way is home?” Catra asked. Adora tended to do their navigation, but she knew Bow would know their orientation, too. He wasn’t one to let details like that slip by. 

Bow thought for a moment before pointing to a patch of the southwest sky. “That way. Do you see that really bright star right there? Just above that mound. Go two stars left, and if you kept going that way, eventually you'd be home.”

Adora shifted ever so slightly in Catra’s direction, not leaning on her, but making the faintest bit of contact with her side. Bow continued, pointing out different parts of the sky and describing the places they’d been to. By the time Glimmer and Melog rejoined them, Catra had almost nodded off. 

“Anything?” Bow asked. 

“Not really,” Glimmer said. “It’s definitely magic, but not something either of us are familiar with. It doesn’t feel bad, if that helps. There’s a...malcontent, sometimes.” Catra shuddered, thinking suddenly of red lightning. “But not here.”

“So,” Bow said. “Back to ship.”

“Yeah,” Glimmer agreed. They had accommodations in town, but Catra wasn’t eager to sleep among strangers tonight, and she was glad Bow and Glimmer felt the same way. She nudged Adora’s side. 

Back on the ship, there were soft beds, mugs for hot drinks, a talking computer, and all sorts of things this Adora had never experienced before. Catra assessed her Horde uniform, covered in dirt- she would have borrow some of Glimmer’s pajamas to sleep in. Judging by the way Adora blinked up at Catra, eyes heavy with sleep, Catra wasn’t sure they were going to manage anything but the bed and pajamas tonight. 

“C’mon,” she said. “It’s time for you to meet Darla.”


End file.
